Spotsvylvania two-year-old falls in well, is saved by dad

Spotsvylvania two-year-old falls in well, is saved by dad

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — A Spotsylvania family is crediting their two year old son’s swim skills and quick thinking father for his life, after he fell into a well.

It happened Wednesday, October 11, in the 10800 block of Post Oak Road. Jason Hood says he was servicing their residential well that was covered by tarp, when his son Jaxson came up from behind him.

“He kind of got caught up on the tarp,” said Jaxson’s father Jason Hood. “I went up to get him before he could get to it, he was already going down and was falling down to the bottom of the well,” he added.

“I had to watch him go down which wasn’t the easiest thing to do and listen to him scream as he went down heard him hit the water and sounded like he was treading water kicking in the water and heard him scream, so I knew he was still conscious and awake,” said Hood.

Hood yelled for his wife Christina to call 911, stripped down to his sweatpants, and went in after him.

“Only way I knew how to make sure he was okay was to basically put myself in danger,” said Hood. “I pretty much lowered myself onto the side and used my feet and back to control my slide down. I kept myself braced against the two sides and picked him up and set him on top of my thighs so he was out of the water.”

Christina Hood grabbed a rope and tied it to a nearby riding lawn mower and threw it into the well to her husband.

“I said tie it around him, he’s not going to last in that freezing cold water,” said Jaxson’s mother Christina Hood.

Before rescuers arrived, mom was able to pull Jaxson out of the well.

“Heart stopping for a few seconds, but then we did what we had to do to keep him safe and get him out of the water,” said Christina Hood.

Jason spent close to an hour in the well before being lifted to safety and treated for minor injuries. Jaxson was checked out on the scene and only suffered a scrape on his thumb.

“Extremely grateful because it’s a deep well, he wouldn’t have survived if he didn’t know how to swim,” said Christina Hood.

The Hoods say they taught Jaxson and his older brother to swim soon after they took their first steps and they will do the same for their youngest son. They said this can be a lesson all parents can take from their terrifying experience.